Well, this chapter would have been written sooner, but I was on vacation… aren't you jealous. Anyway, after I got back, I signed up for a deviant art account so I could post illustrations for this story. At the moment, they aren't so hot, seein' as how I don't have a scanner, and I'm crap with photoshop, but hopefully, I'll get some of my other stuff scanned in.

Oh, and enjoy the chapter.

"It's that bloody bird again," said one fuzzy voice.

"Blasted thing gives me the creeps," answered another.

I really wished that they'd just stop. If they did, then I could go back to that wonderful dream I'd been having. I struggled to remember exactly what that dream was. Something about moonlight, and skin, and hands… god, what a dream. . . god. . . oh god!

My eyes flew open, and at the sight of Harry and Ron leaning over either side of my bed, I swallowed the cry of alarm that had risen to my lips.

It was only a dream, 'Mione, I told myself. Only a dream. Just forget it.

Forget it!

I couldn't.

It wasn't the contents of the dream that bothered me so. I mean, I was 23, and while they weren't exactly frequent, I had had erotic dreams before. And this one was actually pretty tame, as far as they went. Nothing graphic (at least not that I could remember) just impressions, feeling. I hadn't even really seen his face. No, it wasn't the what. It was the who.

His face I might not have seen, but who else has such pale skin? And those hands? And come on, I'd recognize that smirk anywhere.

Malfoy.

Good Lord, girl, just be thankful you woke up when you did. . . speaking of which. . .

"What are you two doing in my room?" I asked, revulsion giving way to curiousity.

"The clock," Harry supplied.

"Clock?"

"Yeah, mom's clock," Ron explained, "it said that you'd been injured."

"So naturally," Harry finished, "we rushed right over as soon as we heard."

Injured? Injured. . . that was right! The last thing I remembered was taking a dragon tail to the back, in a blow that should have broken my spine.

A tentative stretch of my back revealed sore muscles, but no serious damage. I said a silent thank you to the gods, and was grateful, all be it grudgingly, to Malfoy for giving me that dragonhide.

I snuggled back down in my pillow, and pulled my covers to me, getting comfortable.

Wait a minute, Dragonhide was not comfortable to sleep in.

A glance under the covers confirmed my fears. I wasn't wearing my Dragonhide anymore. Someone had changed me.

I turned scarlet. . . had it been Harry, or Ron? No. no, I didn't want to know. Best to just pretend it hadn't happened. Besides, at least it wasn't some stranger, or (God forbid) some one like Malfoy. These were guys I could trust not to ever bring it up again. Or else.

I should actually be thankful.

And I was. "So, you guys came to my rescue, eh? Brought me home, put me to bed, and watched over me. What would I do without you?"

Ron blushed a little at the praise. "Uh, thanks, 'Mione, but actually. . . "

Uh-oh. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Actually?" I prodded.

"Well, you have to understand, Hermione, we would have been there in an instant, had we known," Harry said, "but Ron was at work, and Cho and I were, um, unreachable, so it took a while for her to get hold of us."

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "by the time we found out, you'd already been taken home."

"By whom?" did I really have to ask? As bad as my day had gone, it only stood to reason that it would be the person who would cause me the most humiliation.

"Er. . . Malfoy. He was leaving just as we showed up."

Of course.

*tap. . . tap. . . tap*

"Could somebody get that?" my voice was muffled by the hands I'd buried my face in.

"Oh, I forgot he was out there," Harry said, jumping up, and flying to the window.

He fumbled with the lock before pushing it up, and Omen soared through the opening as soon as it was large enough for him to fit. He did a quick tour of the room, before dropping a letter into my lap, and winging back out the window.

I read it, and blanched.

"'Mione. . . hey, are you okay?" Ron placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Think about it, Ron, if neither of you brought me home, who changed me into my nightgown?"

The two boys exchanged a look that said the question hadn't occurred to either of them.

"Well. . ." said Harry.

"Er. . ." said Ron

"Argh!" said I, and was out of bed in a flash. I began to pace.

Okay, girl, okay, calm down. . . Malfoy took me home after the accident, changed my clothes, and put me to bed. No, wait, this is actually a good thing. This explains that stupid dream. He took off that gear, and my mind just filled in the blanks. Okay, I was sane.

I sat back down on the edge of the bed, and Ron and Harry gave me funny looks.

"What was in that letter?" Harry asked, as Ron picked the note up from where it had fallen in the bed.

"It just says 'you wore it after all.'"

"What does that mean?"

Shit! It meant Malfoy saw me naked. Or in my underwear at least.

Back on to my feet I went, and was heading for the hallway.

"I really think you should lie back down," Harry called after me, and though he and Ron followed me out the door, neither one made any move to direct me back to my bed physically. A glimpse into the hallway mirror as I passed revealed why. With my eyes narrowed, my teeth bared, and my nostrils flaring, I could only be described as fierce. I would hate to be Draco Malfoy right about now.

Two minutes later, I was pinching floo powder into my fireplace with Harry and Ron calling protests over my shoulder.

I gave a floo listing I knew well, since it was the one I used when I arrested Lucius Malfoy.

"Malfoy Manor, master bedroom."

There was a groan from Harry, and a "don't do anything rash," from, of all people, Ron.

The fire flared black for a moment, before turning green again, and I was staring at the head of a strange witch bobbing in my fire.

"I'm sorry, that's a private floo listing, you don't have sufficient authorization." There were twin relieved sighs from behind me, "If you'd like, I can connect you with the floo in the entrance hall."

"No," I cursed softly. That wouldn't do at all. I needed the element of surprise, but of course Malfoy wouldn't just want anyone tripping into his bedroom. I should have expected that. After all, the only reason I' d been able to use the listing last time was because. . . was because. . .

"Get me Alastor Moody."

*

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*

Malfoy's hair was tousled. He was bleary eyed, and shocked, and sitting up in bed. And his hair, hair that he'd kept meticulously groomed since I'd known him, hair of whichI'd never seen even so much as one out of place, HIS HAIR WAS TOUSLED! This was why I lived, breathed, and got out of bed in the morning. This was why I should never leave the house without a camera.

Draco Malfoy with bed head.

Oh why, oh why, did I have to leave my camera?

"What," he drawled (god I hated it when he drawled), "are you doing in my bedroom?"

All my prior amusement melted away. "You horrible, you vile, you rotten…"

He yawned.

"Yes, Granger, we're all very impressed by your colorful use of adjectives, but it is very early in the morning, and if you could just get on with answering my question, I'd much appreciate it."

I sputtered, even as the word odious sprang to my lips, "I can't believe that even you would be so low as to take advantage of the situation. It's barbaric, it's crude, it's—"

"What," he interrupted, and asked with the air of the truly confused, " are you on about?"

"I'm on about you, putting your filthy hands on me while I was unconscious and unable to defend myself."

And now he smiled. A sly, knowing smile, and I hated him for it.

"Oh. . .that."

"'Oh.?' 'That?'" I flushed in anger and embarrassment. "Is that all you have to say?"

"Oh, no," he said, eyes widening, "it also bears noting that you have a glorious body." His voice dipped low, and as seductive as the black satin sheets that draped across his raised knees, and fell over his hips, but frustratingly, stopped there, leaving everything above bare. I tried not to notice that, while he wasn't exactly muscular (and I prefer a man with a muscular build, I assured myself) he wasn't scrawny either. Fluid and graceful, and. . .and. . . and he was talking again, "gorgeous. . .delightful. . .delectable. . .you see, Granger, I'm good with adjectives too. Shall I continue?"

I shook my head. I was mortified.

"How about "S's"? There's smooth, sleek, and sexy, of course. . .but how about sensuous?" Each word he spoke caused me to pale more. I was horrified. "A. . . admirable, B. . .beautiful, C. . . curvaceous, D. . .well, I've done 'D,' haven't I" He was enjoying this, "E. . ."

By now I was sheet white, and shaking, and I felt like I was going to vomit.

He stopped now, and rolled his eyes, "Relax, Granger, I never touched you."

Relief broke over me like a wave. "You. . . you didn't?"

"Well, that's not entirely true. I did take you home, but after that, I called a healer, and let him take care of you."

"You called a healer?"

"Yes, don't look so shocked, this job does come with medical, after all." His feature twisted into a scowl. "You know, Granger, I know you don't exactly have a high opinion of me, but in the future, I'd like it if you could give me a little credit."

And I was embarrassed again. Here I was, so quick to assume the very worst of him. I was ashamed of myself.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy."

"What!" his jaw dropped in shock.

"I'm sorry, I was ready to string you up, when I should have been grateful. You took me home, and even called a healer, and I just. . .well, anyway, I'm sorry."

"I was in the neighborhood," he said with a grumble.

In the neighborhood?

"I knew it was you!"

"Huh?"

"In the Dirty Witch. . .I knew it was you." I beamed triumphantly, "what were you doing there anyway?"

"Why, I was there to see you in that outfit I bought you, of course," he answered, as though it should be obvious. "Seeing you in that get-up would have been priceless. Would've kept me chuckling for weeks."

He was there to laugh at me in my outfit! "You really are just a mental eleven-year-old, aren't you?"

"Come on, Granger, it would have brought me the same amusement that seeing me with my hair all mussed up has secretly brought you." Oh god, was I that transparent? "too bad you ruined it with that brown robe."

Quite suddenly I found the ability to, once again, be outraged at Draco Malfoy, and all was right with the world.

A great weight was lifted off my shoulders. Malfoy hadn't seen me naked, I was still capable of despising the bastard, and that dream had just been the product of my. . .very. . . own. . .fevered. . .

Damn.

"But, if you didn't undress me, then, why. . ." I stopped short.

"Why did what?"

Oh no, there was no way I was going to tell him about that dream. Especially after the way he tormented me when I thought he'd undressed me. I could just imagine the way he'd act if he knew that he'd been recently starring in my most personal imaginings. 'Did I touch you here? Oh, Granger, did I run my hands over your breasts? Did I kiss your neck? Did I. . .' Ack! Now I really was going to be sick.

"Say, Granger, you're looking a little green around the gills, are you feeling alright?"

"Never better," I responded distantly.

"Well, you don't look fine. Frankly," he said, bluntly "You look terrible."

I shot him a glare, and he smirked back.

"I'll tell you what, take the rest of the day to recuperate, I'm sure the keep can handle one day of being short staffed. But I expect you to be back at work tomorrow. I'm not paying you to laze about, after all."

I nodded.

"Um, Can I apparate out of here?" I asked.

Malfoy gave a nod. "I hereby give you express permission to get the fuck out of here. The wards shouldn't bother you."

"Good," I responded, and disappeared.

A moment later, I was slumped on my couch.

"So," Harry asked conversationally, emerging from my kitchen with two steaming cups of tea, "how did it go?"

"I don't want to talk about it. I don't even want to think about it."

"That well, hm?"

"Where's Ron?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, he had to go in to work early. George left out a just add water tornado, and Fred set off the sprinkler system while testing their new LavaLicks (tm). They needed him for clean up."

"I would trade bosses with Ron any day."

*

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*

It was noon, and I'd spent the whole day reading more on Ridgeback. It was a bit disturbing. Well, even more disturbing than the previous times.

You see, the casualty report didn't reflect it. . .I mean. Sure, the number of accidents had been up in last month, but over all, they were still below industry norms. However, with all this extra time I had to research, I'd found a startling trend.

The number of incidents that didn't result in injury had sky rocketed. Since the beginning of the quarter, there had been frayed ropes, switched pen assignments resulting in situations like the one that occurred yesterday, dropped wards, and any number of dangerous happenings, the majority of which were handled without any damage to persons or properties, but I was convinced.

There was a saboteur at the ranch.

So that's how I ended up in front of Tracy Higgins desk, for the second day in a row, talking over a mound of papers.

"What do you mean, you don't know where they are!"

"Well, I'm really sorry, but if you haven' t noticed, things are a little crazy around here right now."

"You mean how you're always buried in papers?"

"Yeah, that. . .look, up until a month ago, I had an assistant, and then he up and quit, and now I've got to muddle through this all by myself. My god, do you have any idea how many people I have out on jobs right now? And just myself to keep track of where everyone is, and who needs people, and the paperwork is always getting lost, and. . .and. . ."

"And, aren't you in the temp department?" I asked, "couldn't you just assign yourself an assistant until you find someone permanent?"

He shook his head, "doesn't work that way, I've got to go through channels to. . .and I've lost my own paperwork."

"Oh, for crying out loud. . ." I groaned, then grabbed a stack of papers off his desk before spelling the rest to follow.

"Hey! What are you doing with those?" His voice shrill with alarm.

"I'm borrowing them. Don't worry, you'll have them back tomorrow."

And I apparated home.

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well, I hope you all enjoyed it.

Nothing much to say now, except of course, that reviews and constructive criticism are vital to my existence.

Oh. . .those URLs I promised.

Okay, fanfiction.net is being seriously picky about what it will and will not let me upload, so bear with me now

You're going to have to go back and delete all the spaces, but here's the url

Ch 7: www . deviantart . com/view/2747255

You can see the one I did for this chapter by clicking on the artist name (caprice, that's me) and going to the gallery.

Sorry to make this so difficult.